THE HILL
President Biden slammed former President Trump on immigration during his Thursday State of the Union address, denouncing his predecessor’s rhetoric and actions on the border, but then echoed some of that rhetoric by referring to a Venezuelan national as “an illegal.”
Biden’s remarks came in response to GOP heckling demanding he mention the name of Laken Riley, a woman whose alleged slaying by said Venezuelan national has become political fodder.
The president mentioned Riley’s name after it was called out by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), saying she was murdered by “an illegal,” adding “that’s right, but how many thousands of people are killed by illegals?”
“To her parents I say my heart goes out to you having lost children myself, I understand.”
Biden then made the case to revive the failed bipartisan Senate border policy deal.
After his legislative pitch, he listed the things he “will not do” on immigration.
“I will not demonize immigrants saying they ‘poison the blood of our country’ as he said in his own words,” Biden said, referring to Trump.
“I will not separate families. I will not ban people from America because of their faith,” he added, in reference to Trump’s zero tolerance policy and so-called “Muslim ban.”
The National Immigrant Justice Center, a nonprofit immigrant legal aid organization, slammed Biden for echoing “the words of anti-immigrant extremists.”
“Manipulating a personal tragedy for political gain in this way is dangerous. Conflating immigration status with criminality is racist and dehumanizing,” the group posted on X.
